Let Me Go

Sunday, ‎January ‎15, ‎2023

Good morning, Lord

Verse of the Day: 1 John 4:20-21

If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also.

Memory verse: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Readings: GENESIS 36-38 MATTHEW 10:21-42

Let Me Go

It had two bedrooms, a living room, and a small kitchen with an outhouse...

One of the first things I remember in my life is looking out the south window of the front bedroom through a window screen and looking up a perfectly straight row of cotton. 70 years after that is one thing that still amazes me-straight rows. Drive through some farming country this spring and stop and look and then think about this. If a man who cultivates a new crop-that is plowing after the new crop comes up-his command of the tractor is the most important thing in his day. If he loses focus for just a second, he can get out of the row and plow up and kill some of the crop. One man said, "That's the easy part, try planting and wasting seed if you miss the row."

Jesus was walking with a crowd and one man said he would follow Jesus anywhere. Jesus said,"I don't even own a place to sleep."(paraphrased). Jesus said to another man,"Follow me." and that man said,

“Lord, let me go and bury my father first.”(Jesus said, "Let the dead bury the dead".)

Another man said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me go and say goodbye to my family.”

Jesus said, “Anyone who begins to plow a field but looks back is not prepared for God’s kingdom.”(Luke 9:57-62)

We don't know if the father of the first man was deceased or not. He could have still been alive and the man wanted to go back and wait it out...Jesus knew the man's heart was not His.

To the second man Jesus said, “Anyone who begins to plow a field but looks back is not prepared for God’s kingdom.”

Again, think about endless rows in a field-row after row after row after row. Countless hours of plowing and planting and cultivating...and waiting...have to be done before the harvest. Jesus wanted them to hear how hard His life would be to follow and all of it done without worldly things-without a place to lay their heads.

One of the biggest worries of ours is our going through blackouts when we get a hard freeze-the price of gasoline-the price of groceries-and Jesus had no place to call his own nor money to rent a room...

Do our 'biggest' concerns involve anything to do with God's kingdom? Does the biggest heartache in your life come from God's kingdom or your own sin or your earthly priorities?

Heartache does not come from God's heart. 'Heart cries' come from God's heart. There may be 'heart cries' from hardships we suffer because of our faith, yes, but have we really known any of these in our world, here?

Our 'Heart cries' should be for the lost people without Jesus...

'Heart cries' come from a deep need for praising our Father...

'Heart cries' come from deep, deep desires for more of God-more knowledge of His way, more mercy shown from our lives...

This list is endless when we keep our eyes on the row...

knowing that His endless life is at the end of the row...

When Jesus called the men, both of them said, "Let me go..." This is the saddest...

What do you say to Jesus everyday? Right now?

...because He loves us...

Father in Heaven,

I confess my earthly focus, have mercy and forgive me. Lead me to a place where my desire for You is greater than all.

God of eternal kindness,

In the name of Christ Jesus,

Amen